Interstellar Orchard: 100 mile hiking club – Mystic Falls

There’s a little yellow book sold in our shop titled “Day Hiking Yellowstone” by Tom Carter.

It’s simple and unassuming, the black and white photos are not high quality and the pages are just folded in half with two staples to make the binding. It was originally published in 1978 and it doesn’t look like much, but there’s an interesting story behind it.

Tom Carter graduated from high school in 1973 and left Arkansas the day after to come work out at Yellowstone for the summer. He enjoyed it so much, he worked a total of six years as a tour guide in the park, and still comes back frequently.

He became a hiking aficionado and wrote this little book specifically for Yellowstone employees, to help them get out and explore more of the park’s back country. For years it was given out for free to any employee who was interested, in 1985 it was made available to the public.

A gloomy morning at Biscuit Basin Today, the Yellowstone Co-Op Employee Recreation Program manages the Yellowstone Hiking Club. There are three different levels, the first is the 100 mile club.

For $10, employees get a copy of “Day Hiking Yellowstone”, a tee-shirt with the “Yellowstone 100 mile hiking club” logo on it, and a log book. The goal is to hike 100 miles in a summer season, and no – walking to and from work doesn’t count. You record your hikes in the log book, and when you get to 100 miles you turn it back in at the recreation office The reward for completion is another tee-shirt and a key chain. Not bad for $10.